A grieving mother is hoping police will reopen their investigation into the mystery death of her son in a bail hostel after a drug overdose.

A grieving mother is hoping police will reopen their investigation into the mystery death of her son in a bail hostel after a drug overdose.

Heroin user Lee Atkinson, 21, had been placed in Cuthbert House bail hostel, in Bensham, Gateshead, in January this year as part of a drug treatment testing order after he admitted a burglary charge at Newcastle Crown Court.

But he was found collapsed on the floor of his room at the hostel on January 29 after suffering brain damage from injecting the painkilling drug codeine.

He was rushed to the intensive care unit at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital but eventually died from pneumonia after spending almost four months in a vegetative state.

An inquest into his death returned an open verdict with Gateshead coroner Terence Carney saying he was "troubled" by the circumstances and had never encountered someone injecting codeine before.

Today Lee's mother Pam, 40, from Crawcrook, said: "I could not have asked for a better outcome from the inquest. I would have been absolutely devastated if it was anything else.

"It gives the police a chance to investigate again because I believe someone caused the death of my son. Lee told me what he was taking and never held anything from me.

"Lee must not have realised he was taking codeine, he thought it was heroin. I don't think I have got a lot of questions answered."

The inquest heard how in the hours leading up to his death, he was drinking and smoking heroin at a flat in Cruddas Park, Newcastle, belonging to friend Anna Regan.

They were joined by two other hostel users who Mr Atkinson gave &#xA3;40 to buy four bags of heroin. Almost six hours later when they had not returned, Miss Regan said he made a threatening phone call to the pair.

Lee returned to the centre where he was seen having a heated discussion with the pair. Later Karen and Lee left the hostel and on return a staff member heard someone ask if they were "sorted".

Shortly afterwards they were warned Lee appeared ill. Staff checked his room and, after finding him on the floor, frantically massaged his heart before paramedics arrived.